taming chickens - strange circumstance

[jasonbennett1]

I am new to chickens; both this forum and owning chickens. I live in FL and went to visit my brother in MO for Christmas. He raises birds and participates in cock fighting and before I left he gave me 5 birds to bring home (1 rooster and 4 hens). I HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF FIGHTING HIM OR ANY OF HIS OFFSPRING, EVER (just wanted to get that out of the way right off)(and I am aware that I am going to have to remove all of his sons in order to keep the peace). I wanted them for eating bugs around the house and nearby woods, which they are doing well. However, now that I see them around I am enjoying them much more than I ever thought I would. I want them to tame down, but they are so spooky you can’t get within 20yrds of them before they run off. My question is, can you teach old chickens new tricks (they’re not that old, all 1yr except for one of the hens which is 2yrs)? How could I go about taming them down and making them more friendly? Catching them might be tough, even at night; they roost about 60ft up in an oak tree.

 

[needmorechickens!]

Oh goodness...first

Then, maybe you should just keep them for lawn ornaments and get you some other chickens as pets. That would be my suggestion.
Someone else will help you more than i can....I'm scared of "wild" chickens!
~Rebecca

 

[Teach97]

throw out some grain to them and only walk a short distance away...walk shorter and shorter distances and eventually they should come to you when you walk out with the grain bucket and eat at your feet...what type of birds? round heads? or what...we have shamo bantams

 

[jacyjones]

I am sure there are others who will have good tips on this.
I would suggest that food would be the way to try. Find something they really like and use that to tempt them closer to you. I think to shut them in at night rather than have them up a tree would tend to make them less wild. Good luck - you will need patience whatever you try.

 

[conny63malies]

sit down with a bowl of treats, i use noodles, throw them out. Wait until the chickens come and throw some more treats closer to you ... do that a few days in a row and throw the food closer and closer to you . Pretty soon they wont think of you as the giant that chases us and kills us, but as the nice boy/man who brings the treats. One day they will eat from your hands. But you maybe ever able to pick them up , you never know though.
THank you for taking them from this situation and not continue it.

 

[DuckLady]

First of all, welcome to BYC.

I think the above advice is excellent. Spending time and gaining their trust with treats may take time, but will be your best way of taming them.

And just a gentle reminder of the rules.
Cockfighting posts are not allowed, so I expect this thread to stay focused on our new member's questions about taming his birds and not spiral downward into a cockfighting discussion. Thanks in advance for your full and cheerful cooperation.

 

[birdlover]

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR FULL AND CHEERFUL COOPERATION.


Terrie,

You make me smile!

 

[DuckLady]

 

[jasonbennett1]

Quote:
I don't know what breed they are, but the rooster looks almost exactly like this, but still has his comb.

 

[prariechiken]

Hey there, welcome to the wonderfull world of fowl ownership...

One thing you must remember is that these are "gamefowl", not your ordinary run of the mill chickens, so they will need a little more patience on the taming aspect. The best way of taming them is regular handling and hand feeding. If you plan on letting them freerange their whole lives don't expect to get them to the point where they will all run up and sit on your shoulder, (I have a couple of freerange games who do this though

) You will be better served keeping them a little "game" in nature since without pens/fences, they are gonna be exposed at times to predation, no matter where you live, something around you will like to eat chicken. My advice would be to build a nice pen for your rooster and pick out a hen to breed him to for hatching, then rotate to another hen, or however you see fit. Single mating will allow you to track and see just what comes out of what, thus allowing you the ability to plan which way you want to breed for your desired looks. This will also keep your rooster safe with a hen so if anything happens to the freerangers, you will have the ability to rebuild your flock, and trust me, gamefowl can rebuild a flock fast

. Your rooster is what is referred to as a "grey" or a silver or gold duckwing (depending on his hackle color). Feel free to pm, email, etc. with any questions you may have, and I'll help ya to the best of my ability, (raised gamefowl for about 30+ years now), free of charge

. Good luck with your new birds friend.